


Dear Lee...

by snowii



Category: Naruto
Genre: Because we Stan a Sassy Female Friendship, Gaara is in Love, Hatake Kakashi is Not Okay, Love Letters, M/M, Maito Gai is a Good Sensei, Rock Lee is Energetic, Sand Siblings Feels, Temari and Tenten are Just Friends, Valentine's Day Fluff, bc he nearly had a heart attack, but it was in the name of love, that's kind of Lee's fault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:35:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29412756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowii/pseuds/snowii
Summary: A Valentines Day GaaLee story! Enjoy!
Relationships: Gaara & Kankurou & Temari, Gaara/Rock Lee, Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy, Hyuuga Neji & Rock Lee & Tenten, Inuzuka Kiba/Kankurou, Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 22
Kudos: 57





	1. 💖 Letter One 💖

The first letter was in his mailbox, sealed tightly with a little heart stamp. It was a bit wrinkled, like someone had held it too tight.

_Dear Lee,_

_I'm probably going to regret sending this later. Actually, I'm probably regretting it as you're reading this. But, I've decided to take somebody's advice and write a letter._

_You're unforgettable Rock Lee. I know from experience. I can't help but think of you when I look at the brightest things, because your smile is brighter than them all. I can't help but remember your laughter, loud and happy, and the way you do even simple things, like fetching an object to the best of your ability. All these little things make me curious._

_I've always been curious about you. After all, I've never met anyone like you. And the closer I get to you, the more I notice the small things about you that seem to make me happy also. But every time you notice things about me, it feels like millions of butterflies suddenly took flight and I can't help it when I respond, not as nicely as I hoped because it's reflex. When you have that emptiness in yourself for so long, letting go can be hard._

_But I know for sure, I don't want to let go of you, as selfish as it sounds. I know I'm not the best, and I know very well that I might be the actual worst, but I'd like to try to understand you, and learn more about you. I can't always explain my feelings how I want others to interpret them, but when I talk to you the feelings are so intense I can't even begin to explain how much you fill me with pure, unfiltered **life**._

_You make me feel alive Lee. And I hope you'll continue to just be yourself._

_From, A Secret Admirer_

Lee hadn't known what to do. His face felt a bit too hot, and a rush of pleasant energy filled him despite the fact he had just gotten through a tiring training session. He didn't know what to do with himself, so he re-read the letter over and over. The feeling of knowing someone out there liked him just made him feel so amazing! He feel asleep with the letter on his nightstand, feeling warmer than ever.

The next day, he talked to his teammates, and showed them the letter, giddy as ever. Tenten was stunned, and even Neji looked begrudgingly surprised. For like two seconds _(but it still counts!)_. They sat together, re-reading the note, trying to figure out who could've sent it to Lee. But the more they talked about it, the more restless Lee became. He couldn't help it, he wanted to find whoever gave him the letter and give them the biggest hug in the universe! So they had to stop when Lee looked like he was going to blow his top _(that rhymes!)_. Lee ran around the town, and gave everybody he knew a hug in hopes that the person who sent the letter would get one too. It wasn't the best idea, but it was one. Although Sakura nearly gave him a black eye, it was worth it! Hugs for everybody!


	2. 💖 Letter Two 💖

The second letter was also in his mailbox, although it was less wrinkled than before.

_Dear Lee,_

_I don't know how you reacted to the first letter, but I decided to write another one. I'm really sorry I can't tell you this to your face. I want to, but my body seems to lock up and freeze. When you ask 'what's wrong', gently, like I'm something fragile, something that can shatter at the slightest change of tone, I can't find it in myself to tell you so I make an excuse to keep you off my trail. Because if this all goes wrong, like it plays out almost every time I think about it, I don't want you to draw away from me._

_Being fragile is everything I try not to be, but you seem to melt away all my layers and shine so brightly that I can't be mad about it. You're like the sun. You make me feel light and fluttery, like your energy is contagious. I want to be closer to you, but maybe I should learn from Icarus, who flew too close to the sun. But in those moments, all I want is to gloriously melt, as long as your warmness overtakes me. I can't even imagine plunging into the cold because I'm sure you'd catch me._

_It's not lust, or love at first sight. In fact, it was basically the opposite of love at first sight. But love can be progressive, and it only seems to get stronger every passing day. I hope you feel the same, although I might never know._

_From, A Secret Admirer_

When Lee got this letter, a smile spread across his face as that pleasant tingling feeling made itself known again. But this time, Lee had a mission. Find whoever keeps giving him these letters. But when he asked around, nobody knew anything, and nobody acted suspicious. He was at a loss.

That night, Lee put the letter next to his other one and tossed and turned in his bed before falling into a warm dreamless sleep.


	3. 💖 Festival Day One 💖

"HEY! GAARA!" Rock Lee jumped up and down and waved with both hands, catching the redhead's attention. "OVER HERE!"

"He's coming over here anyway Lee, we're standing at the entrance!" Tenten hissed.

"Oh."

Gaara snickered, a small smile blossoming on his face. "That was... certainly a warm, loud welcome."

"And that's what I was going for!" Lee grinned "The warmest of welcomes!"

"It was more loud than warm." Kankuro offered, and immediately received a sharp slap to the back of his head. "Hey, ow!"

"Thank you for the invitation to stay here for the Valentine's festival! We really appreciate it." Temari smiled. Gaara nodded in agreement.

"It's no problem. It's our job to show you around, so shall we get started?"

Neji, Tenten, and Lee showed Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara around the village, which was decorated with hearts and flowers for the Valentine's festival. Lee chatted about the festival animatedly, bouncing from place to place. Temari and Tenten walked ahead, probably complaining about how they had to put up with their teams. Kankuro and Neji added some things to Lee's dialogue, but they let him be _(with a few exasperated looks)_. Gaara, however, was silently listening to Lee. His smile hadn't left since they saw Lee. In fact, it might've grown bigger.

At the end of the day, Lee was a bit tired, but he was still smiling. Temari and Tenten had ducked out to go shopping together halfway through and dragged Neji along with them, and Kankuro was basically kidnapped by Kiba and Akamaru, who jumped on him as soon as they saw him and dragged him off to have some _"couple time"_. Gaara decided it was better not to question it. Which left him and Lee walking together.

"Hey, Gaara! I wanna show you something cool! C'mon!" Lee grabbed Gaara's hand on reflex and dragged him away from the festival, not noticing how Gaara suddenly flushed red.

Lee dragged Gaara into the forest, and pushed through the bushes until they stopped at a cliff. A river ran quietly below, and the moon cast a soft silver shadow. Fireflies blinked to life, like little stars on Earth.

"Isn't it nice?" Lee murmured and Gaara looked around in silent awe.

In that moment, Lee couldn't take his eyes off Gaara. His messy red hair had silver cast on it, and fluttered when the wind blew. His features looked.. soft almost, and the pink tinge that stained his cheeks made him all the more beautiful. His heart decided to start beating faster, and his cheeks heated up lightly.

They ventured to the edge of the cliff and sat together quietly, just enjoying the peace. They stayed there until Gaara's eyelids closed and he fell unconscious on Lee's chest.

Lee carried Gaara to the hotel and when he arrived Temari, Kankuro, Tenten, and Neji all stared in half-shock, half-relief.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Tenten whispered happily.

"I can't believe Gaara, Mr. I'm not soft at all no way, fell asleep and is being carried bridal-style." Kankuro mumbled

"You can put him down on his bed. The one closest to the window." 

"Okay, got it."

Lee put him down, and made sure to tuck Gaara in. The male stirred, and smiled in his sleep. Lee felt a pang of satisfaction overtake him as he left.


	4. 💖 Festival Day Two 💖

When Gaara woke up, there were 3 things he noticed.

1) He was no longer at the nice cliff.

2) He was still in his clothes

3) There was a note on his bedside table

_Dear Gaara,_

_You fell asleep on me while we were watching the moon and the stars! I could see why you did, it was very peaceful. Just wanted to let you know in case you were confused! Also, you are very light! Like a cute little baby! I'd like to carry you again one day, it was very pleasant!_

_From, Rock Lee!! :)_

"I DID WHAT?!" Gaara's yell of surprise and outrage made Kankuro spill his cereal and Temari nearly knocked a lamp over with her fan.

"What's wrong?" Kankuro scrambled over to Gaara's bed to where he was curled up under the covers. He curiously picked up the note and read it over before grinning.

" _Oh_. Well, I think falling asleep on a certain someone in a romantic setting is very very letter worthy."

" **Let me die in peace**." Gaara groaned from under the covers. Temari sat on the side of his bed.

"Well, it's not that bad. I actually think he was blushing a little when he tucked you in."

"HE DID WHAT?!"

"Oh yeah, he walked you all the way up here, carrying you bridal-style and he tucked you in really gently, and then he left a note for you, just like a lover would~!" Kankuro sighed dreamily, and Temari flicked him on the forehead. "-Ow!"

A loud choking sound came from under the covers and Temari pulled them off Gaara, who was curled up into a ball to hide his red face.

"Hey, hey, it's not that bad. At least we know Lee does seem to like you a little bit more than usual?" Gaara just groaned "Aww, cheer up. Why don't I make pancakes, to cheer you up?"

"... thank you 'Mari" Gaara mumbled.

"Heh, no problem!" Temari smiled as she went to make pancakes. "And, Kankuro?"

"Yes dear sister?" He replied, smiling innocently.

"CLEAN UP THIS CEREAL!"

"Okay, okay!" He scrambled to clean up his mess. Gaara sat up and smiled lightly.

He didn't know what to do with himself, so he picked up a paper, a pencil, and began to write...


	5. 💖 Festival Day Three 💖

The Valentine's Day Festival was in full swing, and the village was buzzing with excitement.

Temari went off, dragging Shikamaru with her. Kankuro and Kiba went off yet again, with Akamaru trying his best to third wheel. Neji, to everybody's surprise, kissed Tenten on the forehead and took her on a ride. And that left Gaara and Lee.

They walked through the festival, Lee was bouncing from game to game, playing them happily.

"Here you go! A cute teddy bear for a cute teddy bear-like person!" Lee handed Gaara a teddy bear that had a little heart on it's forehead, like Gaara's. Gaara flushed red.

"O-Oh, um thanks. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome! Would you like to play a game?"

"No thank you, I'm not good at them. Plus, it's fun just watching you bounce from game to game. Er- you're a bit cartoonish, that's all."

"Cartoonish?"

"Like- Like animated. Like a cartoon character. Full of silliness and life... or something like that." Gaara went quickly, getting redder by the second.

"Oh, okay! Are you okay though, you're getting red quickly!"

"I'm-I'm fine. 100% okay, completely fine."

"Okay, if you say so!"

Gaara breathed a sigh of relief and fanned his face. Having a crush was _hard_.

When Lee got hungry, Gaara got to pick the restaurant, which is how they ended up having yakitori. During lunch, however, is when it all went sideways.

Gaara got up to put his plate away, and something fell to the ground without him noticing. Lee picked it up and was going to return it when he recognized the little slip.

It was a letter. And it had the same little stamp, and the same handwriting.

 _'Gaara is the one writing these letters?!'_ Lee was frozen in place. For once, he had no words. He couldn't stop staring at the letter.

"Hey Lee, are you okay?" Gaara tapped him on the shoulder, and Lee jumped.

"Uh- Yeah! I'm fine! I'm good!" Lee felt his face going red as Gaara's concerned gaze turned confused "A-Actually, I need to go somewhere, I wanted to.. uh- make sure Gai-sensei is alright, I haven't seen him yet!"

"Oh.. Okay then." Gaara's smile wasn't as happy anymore.

"Hey, it's okay, I'll try to be back as soon as I can okay?"

"Mkay."

"Bye!" Lee sped off as fast as possible.

* * *

When Lee was safely back at home, he opened the letter.

_Dear Lee,_

_Thank you for making sure I didn't sleep outside last night. I guess I fell asleep, but you could say, it was pretty peaceful. I like how the moon makes you look soft.. er than usual. The fireflies were cute, and I can't believe I actually managed to get a good night's sleep. I'm probably not going to send this letter because it's way too specific. But I guess it's nice to be able to write my feelings on paper. I had to nearly throw Kankuro out a window for him to leave me alone, and Temari wouldn't stop going 'aww' at me every time I sent a letter. This isn't as good as my other letters, but it's probably because I'm hungry. I don't think you can think properly when you're hungry. Which means I should probably go eat._

_From, Gaara_

* * *

" **GAI-SENSEI, I NEED HEEEELP!** " Lee shouted as he kicked open the door to his sensei's house, scaring the life out of both Gai and Kakashi, who just happened to be there, sitting on Gai's lap.

"What's wrong Lee? You burst into my house, and I think you scared 10 years of youth out of my rival!"

Kakashi wheezed in silent terror.

"I'M REALLY SORRY BUT I NEED HELP IT'S AN EMERGENCY!"

"What's going on?"

And so Lee explained how he started getting letters, and how he tried to find out where they were coming from, and how he found out that the secret letter-sender was none other than **Gaara**.

"That's sounds like something from a romance novel." Kakashi muttered. "Not that I read them."

"Sure you don't Kakashi." Gai sounded mildly sarcastic, which was a first. "Now Lee, are you okay with Gaara being the one sending the letters? Do you like him too?"

"Uh.." Lee had certainly had his share of gay thoughts about the redhead. And he recalls having a few dreams about Gaara. But that's normal, right?

"Well, you have to figure that out. Then, just... respond to him." 

"How do I do that?"

"That's your challenge Lee. Let the power of youthful love guide you!"

"Right! Thank you Gai-sensei!" Lee smiled "Oh, and sorry again for scaring you guys, go back to whatever you were doing!"

When the door closed, Kakashi sighed and rolled back onto Gai's lap, who patted him on the head.

"Aww, is my rival shy about being hugged?"

"Shhshhhshshhhh."


	6. 💖 Letter Three 💖

Lee hadn't come back to the festival afterwards, and Gaara was a bit worried. That was, until, a larger problem appeared.

"THE LETTER IS GONE!" Gaara screeched and Kankuro dropped his bowl of cereal. Again.

"Why are you eating cereal in the afternoon?" Temari hiss-whispered to Kankuro, and he shrugged.

"WHERE IS IT?!"

"Uh... where do you remember having it last?"

"Well, I had it in my pocket.. but then..." With a jolt, Gaara remember how Lee had suddenly left. And how he was hiding something behind his back. " _ **MOTHERFUCKER!**_ "

"Hey!" Temari whacked him on the head with a wooden spoon "No swearing!"

"Ow!"

Kankuro snickered "So lovebird, where's your letter?"

"I think Lee has it."

"And I oop."

"This is like something from a cheesy romance novel." Temari remarked and Kankuro nodded in agreement.

Gaara climbed in his bed and hid under the cover again.

"Hey, it's not that bad." 

"Really?"

"... Okay it is that bad, but at least Lee will know how you feel about him?"

"Yeah, like the speak now or forever hold your peace type thing." Kankuro added.

"I'd rather take my peace to the grave instead of this!"

"Well it still happened, soo.."

"Not helping!" Temari hissed. Then she cleared her throat. "Okay, so maybe you should just talk to Lee about it?"

"I don't think I can ever look him in the eyes again." Gaara groaned from under the covers.

"Hmm... well, I'm not sure how we can help you Gaara. Maybe this is something you have to figure out yourself."

"We'll help you when you need it little red, but aside from that, this is a you problem." Kankuro scooted away from the bed.

* * *

The three were leaving the village, and Neji and Tenten were there to see them off. None of them had seen Lee after he left Gaara. The fact made Gaara clutch the teddy bear in his arms just a little bit tighter. But then, a green blur came racing towards the gate.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!" Lee screeched to a stop in front of Gaara.

"Lee!"

"There you are! You're not the type to run away like that."

"I know, I know, but can I borrow Gaara for a second, I promise it'll be quick!"

"Uh..-" Temari hesitated.

"Go right ahead!" Kankuro gave him a thumbs-up.

"Thanks, be right back!" 

Lee picked up Gaara and hauled him away, the redhead yelped in surprise.

"Ahh, young love." Tenten sighed.

* * *

"... Lee, I'm-"

"Hold on. I have something for you."

_Dear Gaara,_

_I was very surprised when I got a letter at first. I liked it a lot. I liked the second letter too, and the third one as well. You're very good at writing letters! So, I decided to write you one too, and hopefully it gets to you in time._

_I like the way you're so much like a teddy bear. Sometimes you look so soft, I just want to hug you all day. Sometimes, I wake up and all I can think about is you because you're visiting the village. I like getting closer and closer to you each day, and seeing how you do certain things. Like, the way you care for plants with Ino, and the way you smile at small things that make you happy._

_No one else can make me smile like you can, because when I'm with you, I feel a different type of happiness. A warm, pleasant, tingly feeling. ~~I think~~ I know I like you too._

_Will you be my Valentine, Gaara?_

_From, Rock Lee_

Gaara read the note over and over, unbelieving. "You.."

"I thought about it. I guess you could call this an awakening." Lee laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "So.. uh.."

"I'd like to be yo-your Valentine." Gaara flushed red "Really, very much."

Lee beamed and held his hand out. "Well, the festival isn't over yet! Wanna stay?"

* * *

And so, the Sand Siblings ended up staying in Konoha for a day after what was planned, but nobody minded much. They all got time with their significant others, and Kankuro finally got to eat his cereal in peace... until Kiba and Akamaru smothered him in hugs and kisses and he got so flustered he dropped the bowl and it broke. Again.


End file.
